Al-Nuhud: The army could lose the strategic city due to in-fighting

11 November 2024

In the al-Nuhud area of West Kordofan, intense power struggles have erupted between the Sudanese army and armed groups fighting alongside it, known locally as the “mobilised forces” or “reserve forces.” The security and stability of the city are currently in danger due to these conflicts; the city shelters thousands of displaced people and acts as a lifeline for other areas in the Kordofan region.

Armed clashes between the reserve forces, under the command of Hamad Safi, and the Customs Police last Monday caused hours of terror for the locals in al-Nuhud, local residents told Ayin. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of about seven fighters from both sides and dozens injured, with both light and heavy weapons used, according to witnesses. Additionally, the same sources said, the mobilised forces ransacked stores in al-Nuhud’s marketplace that their owners had left vacant as a result of the ongoing violence.

Former leaders of the defunct National Congress Party established the reserve forces as the military wing of the “Hamr Tribe Union.” These mobilised forces act with significant autonomy, operating independently of the official military units in al-Nuhud, and have established self-declared authority in the city, sources within the army told Ayin. This army-aligned militia now maintains a military influence across al-Nuhud, having taken control of all roads to the city. A military source stated that they levy unofficial taxes on businesses, claiming it as payment for their role in ensuring city security. The same source believes the regular may be unwilling to confront them directly for fear of provoking further conflict.

Stealing from the police

Local reports indicate that the recent clashes between the mobilised forces and Customs Police started when the former took a police vehicle and declined to give it back. A Customs Police unit attempted to forcibly retrieve the vehicle, resulting in further casualties.

An audio recording of this reserve force’s commander, Hamad Safi, commenting on the most recent clashes with the customs police in which he confirmed that their forces had the “right” to command any government vehicle inside the city, highlights the reserve force’s growing influence in al-Nuhud.

Al Nuhud is one of only four areas in West Kordofan State that the army still controls, along with Babanusa, the Heglig oil field, and the city of Lagawa. It represents the last refuge for thousands of displaced people arriving from troubled areas in the state and the Darfur region in western Sudan, and there are no immediate areas to escape to for its residents in the advent of further insecurity.

The Rapid Support Forces, which control most parts of West Kordofan State, surround the city of Nuhud from three directions. They are stationed in the city of Ghubaysh to the west, the areas of Fuja and Saqa al-Jamal to the north, and the town of Donki al-Hur to the south.  Their soldiers constantly repeat, in video clips published on social media, that they are about to attack Nahud and take control of it.

But the continuous threats of the Rapid Support Forces are no longer the main source of concern for the residents of Nuhud —the internal conflict within the national army and its affiliates has terorized the local populace, local volunteer Musleh Hamad said.

“The mobilised individuals are shooting randomly in the city of Nuhud and are attacking citizens and their movement within the city,” Hamad said. “When they clashed with the customs police, they went to loot shops in a terrifying behaviour, and the residents fear that it will be repeated and that the area will enter a state of total chaos in light of the spread of weapons.”

Wreckless recruitment

Political analyst Salah Hassan Jumaa says Sudan’s former Islamic regime mobilised citizens and armed them randomly to fight with the army, despite prior warnings of the danger of this operation. Jumaa stressed that the audacity of one of the individuals to seize a vehicle belonging to a government institution by force and causing these bloody confrontations reflects the level of ambition that these civilian-militas have reached, which will lead to more bloodshed.

The former Islamist-led National Congress Party under dictator Omar al-Bashir had formed the coalition of mostly Arab militias that fought the previous civil war in 2003-2020. The government institutionalised these militias with a law in 2017, establishing the RSF as a formal paramilitary under the direct command of the country’s president.

A local source told Ayin that the Emir of Dar Hamar Emirate, Abdul Qader Munim Mansour, summoned all the Sharati and sheikhs (men of the native administration) in Nuhud to an urgent meeting to discuss the tensions between the regular army units and the reserve forces in an attempt to prevent the region from slipping into further violence.